Regions: east

An unfussy evergreen shrub with white throated flowers that carpenter bees work.

A low monsoon weed of wet ground, gathered for hair oil for as long as anyone remembers.

Plant a knob of market haldi in June; harvest your own in February.

The same trick as turmeric, in slightly more shade and slightly less time.

A curcuma that smells of raw mango — the pickle rhizome of the east.

A marginal water plant for a tub, aromatic-rooted and steady for years.

A slender twiner of scrub and hedges, with fragrant roots and small dark flowers.

A slow, tough native tree for a hot courtyard, with fruit that makes the summer sherbet.

The wild tulsi — taller, camphor-scented and perennial where winters are mild.

The pennywort of damp corners; spreads by runners and asks for shade and moisture.